Ellie vs the Truths and the Lies
by SteadfastWestie
Summary: This will be a series of unrelated one-shots, all featuring Ellie. One-Shot #4: Ellie vs. the Blind Date
1. Ellie vs the Traitor

This is going to be a series of one shots. None of them are connected to each other. They each are their own story and universe. Some follow canon, others are AU. All of them feature my favorite character aside from Chuck, which is Ellie.

If you have any ideas for one shots for me, or would like a sequel to one of my previous stories, let me know.

As for my other fic, Chuck vs. the Sins of the Father. A month ago, I had about ¾ of the next chapter written when my laptop died on me. I was dumb enough to not back it up elsewhere, so I had to start from scratch. I'm struggling with rewriting it because the new version seems pale in comparison to the original, which I still mourn.

I will post more of that one. I will. I just need some time. Probably a lot of time. But it will happen.

Dana

P.S. KuryakinGirl is such a bad influence. One or two of my stories may involve some mind cheating on Ellie's part, though I will try to avoid it as much as possible.

**Ellie vs. the Traitor**

When she had received the news that her brother, her baby brother, whom she had practically raised by herself, was a traitor to his country, Ellie could hardly believe it. In fact, she did not believe it. Not for one moment. Not even upon discovering that he had been lying to her for years about practically everything in his life. His secret, double life, apparently.

"Hello, Ellie," Chuck acknowledged her entrance into the white-walled visiting room that was bare, save for a table and two chairs, with a mournful quirk of the lips, lifting his hands slightly, the chains that held his wrists together and tethered to the table clinking lightly. "I'm so sorry that you have to see me like this."

He may have been a good liar, an excellent one, at that, but he was not a mean spirited one. She had known all along that he was holding something back from her, but during all that time, his eyes had remained as they always had been. They had been soft and gentle and _good. _A little bit sad and a touch guarded, but there had been nothing to indicate that he was serving some dark purpose. Or that he would eventually be responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent people through his actions.

"Oh, Chuck," was all that she could say as she sat heavily down onto the chair across from him. She leaned forward and was reaching out to take his hands in hers when a burly guard standing behind Chuck cleared his throat, reminding her of the no physical contact rule. In a brief showing of defiance, she squeezed Chuck's hands briefly, anyway, before pulling back. "This can't be happening, Chuck. Please tell me that this is all a mistake!"

She was surprised and hurt when, at first, Chuck had refused to allow her to visit him in the high security prison in which he was detained. But then it had quickly begun to make perfect sense how he would not want her to see him as she was seeing him now, dressed in prison garb, his hands and feet chained to prevent escape, and his face haggard from prolonged imprisonment and a future that held only a death sentence.

Chuck dropped eye contact with her, guiltily, which caused her heart to drop to her stomach. Her slightly bent form straightened; she took in a couple short breaths, her posture stiffening of it own accord.

A sentence that was beginning to look as if it might actually be deserved.

"No," she whispered almost to herself, completely disbelieving, the urge to stand up and flee the room taking over. "No, no, no, no, no. It's not true. It can't be!"

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Chuck responded brokenly, spreading his chained wrists apart slightly in a helpless gesture before clasping them back together. "But it's not a mistake."

"No!" Ellie suddenly shouted as she leaped to her feet, jabbing a finger at Chuck accusingly. She could see out of the corner of her eyes two of Chuck's guards standing at the ready, just in case Ellie decided to try to kill him before his appointed time. She slapped her hands angrily on the table and leaned against them so that she was in his face. "You're lying! You didn't do it. You're not capable!"

"Ellie, _please!_"Chuck pleaded, his voice low, but loud enough for her to hear perfectly "Just sit down and let me tell you what happened. You deserve to know the truth, to hear it come from my own lips. Please, just settle down and let me tell you everything."

Ellie stopped her rant with some effort, her breathing shallow and labored as she struggled to come to grips with what she was hearing and to brace herself for what was to come.

There had to be some kind of explanation for this; he had to be protecting someone else. Was it Sarah or Casey who really did the deed?

She tried to comfort herself with that. If that were the case, then maybe they could _do something_ to get him out of this treason charge.

'_He can't be a traitor. He just can't be,_'she thought to herself over and over again as she slowly sat back down on her chair.

"Okay," she said with finality, grateful that her voice sounded more human than she expected. "Okay. Tell me everything, Chuck"

She sat there, enraptured, as her little brother recounted what she might have dismissed as a fairy tale if it hadn't been for the NSA and CIA agents that had suddenly stormed into her life months earlier, tearing apart her home, traumatizing her family, and deconstructing her whole world. The whole time Chuck talked about his journey to become a spy, he sounded almost awed, as if he believed his story to be almost too fantastic to be real.

But then, his voice changed and became more serious when he began to tell her of the events that led him toward treason. Ellie was disconcerted by the change of tone. There was no animation in his voice or on his face that spoke of regret or sadness, which was completely unlike the Chuck she knew, who usually spoke with passion and conviction no matter what the subject of discussion. It was spoken in a manner that was flat and mechanical, as if he had told the same story a million times before and was now doing it on automatic pilot.

He also spoke the words with a familiarity that told her that it was likely to have been put together like a presidential statement and rehearsed repeatedly before he started telling it to anybody else. She was startled by the realization that Chuck wasn't just accused of treason, he had actually _confessed_ to it.

"So, there you have it, Ellie. I sold them the information and they used it for their own purposes. Not a single one of them good."

Ellie just sat there for a long time. She was stunned that her brother, whom she had always known to be one of the most gentle, compassionate people in the world, was looking steadily into her eyes and confessing unwaveringly to have committed treasonous acts against his country for profit.

Again, she did not believe it for a single moment.

Even though his story had a logic to it – this decision led to that action, which led to him meeting with this man, who pointed him to that person, to whom he sold the secrets of his government – the sequence of events Chuck described were to neat and pat for her own comfort. She _knew – _knew in her heart of hearts – that Chuck's story of treason was the tragic fairy tale. Sure, some of the situations probably happened, but some of the best lies are built on a basis of truth. She would bet her life that the story he told had been fabricated, then scoured relentlessly for plot holes, which were filled so as to make it more convincing to people who would accept his confession at face value, rather than look too deeply into it.

Why he was going along with it, she did not know.

Maybe he was being threatened. Or maybe _she _and Devon and Carly were the ones being threatened and he was being forced to take the blame for treason to protect his family.

When she had processed all of this in her mind, she refocused her eyes on Chuck, who was looking at her patiently, and expectantly.

"You may have been able to fool others with this ridiculous story," she stated evenly, looking him coolly in the eye. He blinked and his head reared back slightly. _His eyes are the same as they've always been. The _truth_ was in his eyes. _"But you cannot fool me. I don't know what's going on or why you are doing this, but I assure you, I am going to find out. And I am going to get you out of this hell hole and you are going to come home to us."

She didn't wait to see what kind of impact her words would make on Chuck before she broke eye contact, so she was startled when his hands shot out to grab for her as she stood up. Despite herself, she leaped backward to avoid his touch. She saw the guard behind Chuck lurch forward, but Chuck pulled back and calmed quickly enough that the guard halted, keeping his hand resting against his gun holster.

"Ellie," he said, looking like he was about to lose the calm that had held him together for the longest time during their meeting. "Ellie, please, for your sake... for the sake of Devon and your daughter. _Leave. This. Alone. _Leave it alone. The only thing that can come out of your meddling is more pain. I am begging you to just let it go!"

Ellie didn't know what to say, couldn't say a word. So, instead, she just turned and fled, with the sound of Chuck calling out her name following her out the door and down the hall and haunting her all the way to her car. She couldn't help but feel effected by his pleas and on her way home, she struggled with the desire to save him and to comply with his wish that she let it go.

The next day, she got word that Chuck had somehow found a way to hang himself in his prison cell, the news rocking her world once again. For several months following her visit to her brother and his death, nothing her husband and daughter said or did could console her. For a long time, she felt like she had died along with her brother.

Then, a year later, she received a post-card from Italy that was dated a few days previously. She immediately recognized the handwriting as Chuck's. There was no mistaking it. Her heart pounded in her chest as she read the one sentence that written on it, of which she pondered the meaning for the longest time afterward until she finally understood it.

_It's hard to say good-bye._

"Be safe, Chuck," she whispered to herself in the quiet of her living room. "Wherever you are, be safe."


	2. Ellie vs the Caged Bird

I have about three J/Ellie stories that I've been working on simultaneously because I keep on getting these various plot bunnies that keep multiplying. They are all partially written stories, each with a few incomplete scenes written here and there.

In this particular story, though all of the interactions are between Ellie and John, the focus is more on Ellie as a sister, rather than a romantic interest for John. This is also a little AU because Chuck has not yet discovered Orion's super secret base.

**Ellie vs. the Caged Bird**

Ellie looked out her living room window at the familiar sight of Chuck and Sarah sitting on the courtyard fountain, talking intimately with each other, their hands entwined and their heads nearly touching as they leaned in toward each other. Chuck and Sarah were so much in love that the beauty of it sometimes made her own heart both rejoice and ache at the same time.

When they leaned in even more closely to share a tender kiss, Ellie felt her heart pang again and she retreated from the window, sighing a little sadly.

She was happy for them. She really was. They were madly in love and overjoyed to be together as a couple.

However, Ellie could tell that they were not so happy with one significant part of their life. When Chuck had retired from the CIA, Ellie had been surprised and pleased to learn that Sarah had decided to follow his lead and quit, as well. It was such a relief because Sarah was obviously here to stay and Ellie sensed that the further away Sarah was from that life, the better the chances of Chuck not being dragged back into it.

Her thoughts were so consuming that Ellie was almost startled to find herself – without knowing how she had got there – using a sponge to wipe her already clean kitchen counter with firm strokes. She didn't pause in her cleaning when she realized what she was doing. She just kept scrubbing away imaginary food stains as she continued to contemplate her brother and Sarah's new life as civilians.

Even though they never said anything to her directly about it, she knew that they _missed _being spies.

Ellie loved them both and it would kill her if either of them were seriously hurt or killed in the field, but now she was beginning to wonder if insisting that Chuck quit his job was a little too selfish on her part. It was becoming quite apparent to her that he had obviously found purpose and fulfillment in his work. Sarah, too. Whenever the events of a few months ago were discussed – the topic was quickly becoming one that was best to be avoided – she would often see Chuck and Sarah exchange these pained glances that Ellie and anybody knowing their situation could easily read.

Chuck had already had several job offers from various places, ranging from several start up software companies to conglomerates like Google and Microsoft. While the Chuck of the Stanford years would have given his left kidney for the opportunities with which he was currently being courted, the post-Stanford drop-out, post-spy Chuck was not so enthusiastic. Not matter what he chose, he was going to be pretty much set for life with the kind of stability that people all over the world strove for.

Only Chuck didn't want that anymore and she very well knew it. What he was really wanted was to be the person who protected others, rather than the one who benefited from the hard work and sacrifices made by those who risked their lives daily to make a difference in the world.

Ellie abruptly stopped cleaning, becoming completely still for the first time in a long while, and just let that sink in. All of her life, she had been Chuck's protector, but always believed that she had never crossed the line into being overprotective.

Just like most things in this current period of her life, she just wasn't so sure about that anymore. What if instead of protecting him, she had actually been holding him back for all of these years? What if she was _still_ holding him back from a destiny greater than any one that she could ever imagine for him?

Before her thoughts could go any further, there was a sharp, precise knock on the front door. She stilled for a moment. She wasn't expecting anyone and was immediately cautious as she made her way to the door. Her experience a few weeks ago with the world of espionage had made her feel a bit on the paranoid side lately, a state of mind which she found tiresome, but most likely a necessary reaction for the rest of her life.

She peered through the peep hole and was taken aback at seeing John Casey's face. It had been nearly two weeks since she last saw him, and that had been a brief encounter, since she had been in a rush to make it to the hospital for a work emergency when they had passed each other by.

Ellie still felt terrible about hitting him with the frying pan when she had caught him in her house, though there had been no way of knowing that she was being manipulated by a rogue CIA agent into thinking Casey was a bad guy. At the time, she had only been protecting herself as anyone else would have had an intruder been in their home. Besides, he had told her, himself, that rather than being angry at her for it, he had actually been highly impressed. That barely stopped her from feeling so awkward whenever he was around, though.

After taking a second to brace herself, she unlocked the door and swung it open.

"John!" she immediately greeted him with a shy smile. "Hey. What are you doing here? Are you looking for Chuck?"

"Hey, Ellie," Casey responded shortly with a terse nod, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other and not quite meeting her eyes. She wondered, not for the first time, how this man of very few words could have ever had a successful, twenty plus year career as a spy if even the simplest of human interactions made him this uncomfortable. "I was hoping if maybe we could talk for a minute?"

"Of course. Please, come in." Ellie moved out of the way and closed and locked the door securely after them. For a small, uncomfortable moment, they just stared at each other before Ellie mentally shook herself out of it and remembered her manners. "Is there anything I can get you, John? Something to drink?"

"No, thank you," he responded with a shrug, glancing around the room with exaggerated interest. She knew he wasn't trying to be rude or anything, so she took his avoidance of eye contact in stride. If they were going to get to the point of his visit by the time the sun set, she figured that she would have to steer their conversation until he could take over for himself. "I'm fine. I probably won't stay long, anyway."

"Okay, then. Why don't you have a seat?" she asked, sweeping her hand in the general direction of the sitting area of her living room. When Casey was seated on the couch, she sat on a chair across from it, her curiosity making her lean forward slightly in anticipation. "What are you doing here, John? Chuck said that you'd left already. That you've been reassigned elsewhere."

John cleared his throat before making eye contact with her for the first time since he had arrived at her doorstep. She hadn't really been expecting that, so she straightened a little in surprise. The serious nature of the expression on his face made the alarm bells ring in her head.

Instead of answering her question, he responded with a question of his own.

"What exactly has Chuck told you about his years with the CIA, Ellie?"

Ellie stared blankly at him before what he asked really registered. Surely, he wasn't suggesting that Chuck had revealed any national security secrets to her, was he?

'Don't jump to any conclusions, Ellie,' she silently admonished herself. 'You know how well that has worked out in the past.'

"Not much, really. But I haven't really asked for a whole lot of specifics, aside from anything pertaining to what happened a few months ago," she admitted quietly. "I know that a lot of what he did is so highly classified, he could be imprisoned for revealing it without permission... John, where exactly are you going with this?"

"Chuck wasn't just some ordinary CIA agent, Ellie. He was a very special case."

"A special case?" Ellie repeated in exasperation, her hand unconsciously reaching up to briefly rub the ache that was forming in her forehead. "And that means... what?"

"Chuck has a certain... skill set that is extremely unique. To our knowledge, there aren't very many others who can do what he does. If fact, he is the only one we currently know of who can do what he does. Successfully." Casey paused, his eyes drilling into hers with an unfamiliar intensity that held her captive and challenged her to figure out just where he was taking this on her own. "Over the past three years, I have seen Chuck use these skills to save hundreds... perhaps even hundreds of thousands of lives."

Ellie was definitely beginning to see exactly this conversation was heading, to understand why Casey was here, talking to her about things she really shouldn't and didn't want to know. And the terrible thing was, she knew if she continued to let him speak, she would eventually give in.

"And I suppose what you're going to tell me next is that Chuck quitting has been a great loss to the intelligence community," she interrupted warily, sinking tiredly down in her chair.

"That's not exactly what I was going to say," John answered with a slight smile that could quite possibly be construed as a smirk. "But you aren't that far off the mark." His tone changed to one of earnestness as he continued, "I have been a spy for the better part of three decades, Ellie. I have had many partners over the years and I've worked with many different teams. All of them excellent in their own right. But I consider Chuck and Sarah to be, by far, the _best _partners and teammates that I've ever had."

Ellie could feel herself start to choke up, tears burning in her eyes at his words and the earnest way he spoke them. In all the time she'd known him, he had always been a bit gruff, more than a little bit stoic, and extremely reserved. She had never seen him speak so much in one go, let alone with such conviction and sincerity before.

Ellie didn't know why it hadn't occurred to her before, but she was now seeing irrefutable proof that John, too, was being strongly affected by Chuck not being a spy anymore. For some reason, this belated understanding was beginning to open her eyes further to the good that Chuck could do for the people outside of their family circle.

John said it. Chuck had saved lives. Many lives. Possibly more lives in a mere few years than she might ever personally save in her entire career as a doctor. And he could save so many more.

She was so proud of her brother and wanted him so much to have purpose in his life again. But she didn't know how she was going to be able to him free to pursue that purpose without feeling something die inside her every time he had to go out on a mission that could end very well end in his death. God forbid the last of her family die. She didn't think she would ever be able to recover from it.

"John, I..." .

"I'm not here to try to convince you to give Chuck your blessing to return to the spy business, as much as I would truly like for that to happen," He interrupted, speaking honestly. "My intention, rather, was to give you a warning."

"A warning?" she asked tersely at the ominous statement. _Or a threat, perhaps?_

"The CIA let Chuck go without a fight because they knew they seriously screwed up with the Ring situation and felt they owed him something for saving their asses..." John's unwavering gaze was threatening to burn a hole into her, but it would not allow her to look away. "Ever since Sarah and Chuck quit, I've been keeping my ear to the ground. It's already happening, Ellie. They want Chuck back. They want all three of us back in the fold – together – because we've been one of the most successful teams that the CIA and NSA has had for years. They're willing to use whatever means necessary to get him back."

The undertone of his words wasn't at all subtle; it was immediately very clear to her.

"Are you seriously saying that they might force him back? Force all of you back?"

"It is only a matter of time," he confirmed with a grunt. "But before they go that far, they're going to try their damnedest to convince him to come back willingly. For now, they are willing to wait, though they'd rather have him back sooner than later."

"What makes Chuck so important that they'd resort to forcing him back into service? What exactly _are_ these unique skills he has that you were talking about earlier?" Ellie was still trying to wrap her mind Chuck being a CIA agent, even after all the sleepless nights she spent contemplating it. Chuck was just too sweet and gentle and trusting,... All traits she would never have associated with spies before.

And yet, he survived three years without changing the core of who he was.

"Unfortunately, that is something that I can't reveal," he said, giving her an apologetic look. "Perhaps, one day, you might be cleared to know, but for now, we shouldn't even discuss it."

"Right," she said. Growing restless from all the tension she had been holding in for the majority of the conversation, Ellie stood up, but had no sense of which direction to move her body. When Casey stood up after her, they both simply stared at each other for a long time. Then, at the same exact moment, they both tried to speak again.

"Look, Ellie, I'm..."

"John, please be..."

Ellie couldn't help but smile and laugh a little at their simultaneous attempts. Some of the tension eased from her shoulders.

"You and Sarah..." she began after a slight hesitation. "You are good at what you do? You can protect him?"

"Yes," Casey stated, simply. "We are and we can. And your brother? One thing I think you need to understand about Chuck is that he is more than capable of taking care of himself, and us, in the field. I trust him with my life."

"Really?" she asked, dubiously. "You trust him with your life?"

'Yes," he answered with a wry grin. "Though don't tell him I said that. I don't want his head to grow too big. And please, never reveal that I said that he and Sarah are the best partners I've ever had. I'll never live that down, either." For some reason, this caused the floodgates to open wide. When the tears burned her eyes, Ellie didn't blink them back; instead she allowed them to fall. There was no use in holding it in any longer and strangely enough, she felt safe enough with him to show this kind of emotion. Imagine that. Once upon a time, not too long ago, she had been terrified of him and now she trusted him. "What are you thinking, Ellie?"

She saw him lift his hand to reach out to touch her, but like a man unused to offering comfort, he pulled awkwardly back. His gentle concern caused her words to come out in a flood.

"I'm scared for him, John. I've already lost my father and I don't know what I would do if I lost Chuck, too," she confessed, sniffling as the tears kept falling. When a tissue unexpectedly appeared before her eyes, she smiled gratefully, taking a few seconds to use it to dab her wet cheeks and eyes, then wipe her nose. The actions gave her the silence she needed to gather her thoughts once more. "This spy stuff... It's something I can't protect him from. And I promised my father, a long time ago, that's what I'd do. Protect him."

"Believe me, Ellie, I know how you feel," John said sympathetically. "Can I let you in on a little secret?"

"Of course."

"I have the same fear for Alex that you do for Chuck." John paused, obviously thinking about his daughter, whom he had been granted the privilege of getting to know after twenty plus years of absence from her life. "She called me a few days ago with the news that both the FBI and CIA are both asking her to work for them, potentially as a profiler. They are also offering to fund her education all the way up to PhD."

"John," Ellie breathed. "That's good news, isn't it."

"Of course, it's good news, and I'd be proud of her no matter what she does..." John's lips quirked into a smirk; he appeared as if he were recalling a particularly funny joke. There was humor to his tone, which reinforced that thought. "Even if it was the CIA she chose to work for."

Ellie couldn't imagine what that was about. "Not a big fan of the CIA?"

"Let's just say that there has always been a rivalry between the CIA and NSA. We haven't always played nice in the past. But my estimation of the CIA has definitely grown over the years, especially since I've discovered that it has actually turned out some pretty decent agents. Like Walker... And Chuck." John grunted thoughtfully. "Anyway, as for Alex – she doesn't know it, herself, yet, but I can tell – she won't be content to just be a simple profiler. She'll want to train as an operative, as well. And the thought terrifies me."

"If that's what Alex decides she wants to do, will you try to stop her?"

"I will try my best to make certain that she makes an informed decision, that she has a basic understanding of what she might be facing in the future. And if she decides to follow that path, then I will support her." John glanced away from her in silent contemplation, before quickly renewing eye contact. "There are no guarantees in this business, Ellie. Any mistake can get you killed, if you're not careful. If I lost Alex, especially after all the time I've already lost with her, it would break me in ways I've never been broken before."

"Even knowing this might happen, you still would support her?"

"Yes. I can't guarantee that something won't happen to Chuck. We are all human and we all make mistakes. But I can guarantee that we'll be a team that will look after each other to the best of our abilities. It's almost indefinable, but we have something special that other teams do not have, and that is, in part, why we've been so successful. You have my full guarantee that both Sarah and I will have Chuck's back. I take my promises very seriously."

Ellie believed him.

She still had strong, negative feelings about Chuck being a spy, but she had to admit that her talk with John made her feel a little better. The things he said about Chuck saving lives and being competent in the field, and most importantly, his confession about his feelings about the possibility of his daughter becoming a CIA officer...

Well, they made a big difference. All throughout their conversation, she had been weakening in her determination that Chuck be kept away from the CIA. A determination which, she had to admit, had already been weakened significantly long before John came here.

"I believe you do, John. And I will hold you to that..." She straightened her stance, trying her best to appear as intimidating as she could to a man who probably had his picture next to the definition of intimidating in the dictionary "...because if anything happens to Chuck in the field, and I find that it happened because of negligence on your part, I don't care how good a spy you are; I will make it my life's work to make you pay."

"If it happens like that, Ellie, you won't have to come looking for me. I'll come right to you and face whatever suffering you wish to inflict."

"Good," she said shortly before allowing her expression to soften and her voice to lose its hard edge. She implored wearily, "Just do your best to not make me regret this."

"Yes, ma'am," was all he said in response to that.

And that was all that needed to be said on that subject. Ellie inquired about Alex and Kathleen and for a few minutes that was all they talked about. It was kind of endearing how much Casey seemed to really love his wife and daughter. According to him, Kathleen was still furious with him, but like her daughter, was a person who always chose to forgive at the end of the day. Ellie silently prayed for his chances of reconciling with the woman he had left behind all those years ago.

Before they knew it, Casey needed to leave, and Ellie found herself disappointed. At the door, Ellie surprised them both by pulling John into a big hug.

"Take care of yourself, John," she said in his ear, squeezing him once more before letting him go.

For half an hour after John had gone, Ellie sat on the couch, sipping some iced tea and both dreading and anticipating the moment in which she would give Sarah and Chuck her blessing to return to the CIA.

Her breath caught when she heard Devon and Chuck talking outside the apartment. Her stomach roiled with anxiety, but her determination to do what she knew was right never wavered.

"Hey, Ellie," Chuck greeted her as he and Devon entered the living room. "What's going on?"

"Chuck, hey. Listen, there's something very important I need to discuss with you. Do you have the time?"

"For you, sis, I have all the time in the world."

* * *

I really have a bad time with endings. They always come out rather weak.

And, wow, this turned out a lot longer than I am used to when it comes to my writing. Usually, I struggle to get out more than one thousand words per chapter. This one is nearly four thousand.

Probably should have waited until after the to post this. I really hope this chapter doesn't get missed because of the insanity of Memorial day weekend.

Let me know what you think. Like it? Love it? Dislike it? Hate it?

Constructive criticism is much welcome.

Thanks.


	3. Ellie vs Revenge

_Ellie vs. Revenge_

Once again, he swept her feet out from underneath her, and again, she landed painfully on her back, gasping for the air that surrounded, yet attempted to allude her.

"C'mon, Ellie," John Casey taunted her with the same relentlessness that she had demanded he maintain when they started this, yet all she could do was resent him for it. "Get up and get a hold of yourself. You're not trying hard enough."

"I'm trying as hard as I can!" she angrily gasped out as she struggled to her feet. Sweat trickled into her eyes, stinging them. With a furious hand, she swiped at her face. He was circling her like a lion circles his prey and it infuriated her.

The more times he took her down, the angrier she got, and the more angry she got, the less control she seemed to have. She knew she had to control her emotions before she could control the Intersect, but this whole entire situation just pissed her off beyond anything she'd ever came close to feeling before.

"Yeah? Well, your hardest isn't good enough," he countered with a sneer. "You wanted to be the one to take down the organization that killed your _family, _ but all I'm seeing is a little girl, _playing _at revenge."

A year ago, she never would have thought she'd be capable of anger to the degree where she truly wanted to kill someone, like she wanted to murder John Casey right in that moment. But, unfortunately for her, fate had found a way to ruin her life, shattering who she was, rebuilding her into this _thing _she was beginning to despise. She would never be the person she was before; she barely even felt like a real person anymore.

"This isn't about revenge," she countered as they both circled each other, keeping their minds alert for an overtly telegraphed move, or a way to breach a neglected defense. Casey had spent nearly a year training her in self-defense and hand-to-hand combat, so well, in fact, that in a real fight she wouldn't need to flash to take down an average opponent. But there was one major problem; the opponent she was preparing to face was no ordinary one. "It's about getting justice for my brother and my husband... And for Morgan and Sarah."

After her father's death, Chuck and Devon had been the only things she'd had left in the world to make her life worth living, only to be torn away from her in a single, explosive moment filled with fire and smoke and noise. They were dead now, and so was Morgan, never illuminate her life ever again with their humor and their love.

And Sarah, poor dear Sarah might as well be dead.

Ellie closed her eyes briefly as renewed anguish spread through her at the thought of her sister-in-law lying motionless in a hospital bed, in a deep coma, likely never to awaken again.

And wake up to what, exactly?

As Ellie knew all too well by now, it only took a moment for things to turn against her. Casey used her obvious distraction to make his move and she was knocked off her feet again. She landed on her back and before she could blink, he had her pinned to the mat, the first time in months he'd had her so effectively trapped beneath his weigh like this.

The press of his body sent an unexpected shock through her and suddenly, she was feeling way too much. The assault on all of her senses overwhelmed her; she tensed as if to attempt to throw him off of her, but made no move to actually do so. His hands had her wrists pinned to the sides of her head and it was only reflex that made her strain against them briefly before she became completely still.

"You don't want justice, Ellie," Casey said, harshly, his voice a low growl as he lowered his head so that she could feel the soft puffs of his breath on her face. The combination of all things were making his words all the more sharper to her sensitive ears. "You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise. You want _revenge_, pure and simple."

"You know nothing of what I want," she returned just as harshly, just wanting to say something – anything – that would help her to deny the truth just a bit more longer. It was a weak defense, because somewhere deep inside of her, she knew that he had always known, from the very start, what motivations lay deepest within her heart. For a moment, she arched weakly against him, but it was a hollow effort on her part, and he was unmoved. "Damn you."

"Believe me, Ellie, I can tell exactly what you want, as I've seen it a million times before." His grip on her wrists tightened briefly; only on the edge of her mind could she feel the resulting pain. All she could do now was stare up at his looming face, the intensity of his eyes pinning her more effectively than his physical body. The realization sent tingles through her. "I know this because _I _ want it, too. Looking in your face is like seeing my mirror image. All the pain, the rage, the drive to make them pay for what they've done; it's all there, exposed for me to see. You can't hide it, especially not from me_._"

And with that, everything he was feeling was exposed to her, for his face of stone cracked and crumbled, falling away to allow her to see beneath the mask for the first time. The slight softening of his features changed the look of his eyes until they became unfamiliar, yet completely recognizable. They were no longer as cold and emotionless as she remembered, or perhaps as she had perceived them to be.

It felt as though like was calling to like and she was suddenly looking upon him, not as a stranger, but as a kindred spirit.

Casey was saying something to her, but she could no longer hear anything beyond the rushing connections she was starting to make. Something inside of Casey had died that fateful, awful night, as well. Years ago, he had gained a family after two decades of having none, only to lose all but one of them.

Her.

Alex and Kathleen were still alive, but gone, too, whisked away into hiding and living with new identities, to a far away place where he could not follow. He could have joined them, had they not turned him down and rejected him.. It had all been way too frightening for them... the deaths, the botched kidnappings, and the assassination attempts that never seemed to end.

Ellie could hardly blame them for wanting to be safe, but they had left him alone at a time when he needed them the most, and that was unforgivable, in her eyes.

She would never have done such a thing to Devon or Chuck. It didn't matter how scared she was; she would never have abandoned them. She loved them too damn much... She...

Unexpectedly, she could feel something physically pulling her upwards and enveloping her in a tight embrace, which immediately brought her back to the present. It took her a moment to understand what had happened and realize that she was gasping for breath and shaking like a leaf.

And to discover that Casey was holding her, murmuring soothing words to her as she shook, her head nestled beneath his chin.

"It's okay," he was whispering as he rocked with her. "Time to let it out. Just let it out."

She lay in his arms, unconsciously turning her head into his chest, allowing things to sink in and the emotions to build, ready to burst forth, if not for one thing... the fortress gates that were holding it all in.

"Just let it out," he repeated into her hair, stroking it gently. "Don't worry, I've got you."

And then, with those final words, it was like a battering ram had finally burst open the gates, and she did as he asked of her, letting everything flood out. She let out an anguished moan that sounded too far away and foreign to her ears to actually be hers

She threw her arms around Casey's middle, clutching him tightly, like a child seeking comfort after a fall, then began to cry without the restraints that had held it back for entirely too long. He stroked her hair, her back, her face as she wept, holding her tighter and tighter still, until it felt like they were merging into one person.

She cried for all that was lost. For the dead and the dying. For destroyed chances and unfinished memories. For the fights and breakups and makeups that would never happen. For Chuck and Devon and Sarah. For the children she would never have with her husband. For her mother who had lost out on too many years of her childrens' lives. For Morgan, the bearded little troll (the once hateful name now spoken with affection) that adored her even when she did not deserve it.

And lastly, she cried for John and for herself, who were two of the last surviving members of their unconventional family and who were dying a little each day in their own pathetic ways. They were tempting Death to take them, when they should be finding a way to live and love again and to find beauty and peace in the world around them.

Like Devon and Chuck would have wanted them to do, for it is what they would have done.

The tears eventually subsided, as they often do, for one cannot cry forever. For a long time, they just sat there on the floor, holding each other in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and grappling with their own feelings. She surprisingly felt no shame for crying unceremoniously in his arms, as she might have expected had she thought of the possibility of it happening before it actually did.

Soon, she reluctantly relinquished her death grip on his waist and sat up so she could crane her head to look up at his face. She was surprised to see that he, too, had obviously been crying, and unconsciously lifted her hand to stroke down one cheek, which was still slightly damp from his tears. She could sense his slight intake of breath at her touch and it made her nearly breathless with a new kind of awareness.

"You're right, you know," she whispered after her hand drew back sharply, her mind's eye envisioning Devon as he'd been the last time she'd seen him alive. It wasn't right, this new, awkward awareness. It was too soon and too fast for it to be any kind of right. "Revenge _is _what I wanted. I just was too... selfish... to realize it."

"You are not selfish, Ellie," he disagreed adamantly, but she was shaking her head before he even finished his sentence. "That's just not who you are."

"Yes, I am," she argued, her voice breaking as tears stung her eyes again. She tore herself away from him and rose to her knees so she could look him straight in the eye. Her words came out her as rapidly as a torrential rain. "All I've been wanting to to is inflict an equal hurt onto the ones that wronged _me. _All I could feel was the hurt that _I _was feeling. And all I was thinking was how much better _I_ would feel if _I_ destroyed the ones that destroyed _me_. But I was only destroying myself and taking you along for the ride. I never once thought about what Chuck and Devon would have wanted me to do. I never thought of how this would affect _you _or.._. _or..."

"Ellie, you listen to me," Casey sternly interrupted as he adjusted to a better position. He hesitantly reached over to gently, but firmly cup her face with his strong hands, keeping her eyes focused only on him. She was so surprised at the gesture that all she could do was stare wide-eyed at him. "I'm no psychologist, but what you've been feeling is perfectly normal and there is absolutely no shame in it..."

"But I wasn't just feeling the need for revenge," she whispered, scared witless of what she was about to confess. "I was _doing_ something about it. It was only a matter of days after the explosion that I took on the Intersect." She took in a deep, shaky breath. "And in doing so, I was pretty much signing away what little was left of my life, just so I could be the one to bring down their murderers. I've had all sorts of scenarios were running through my head about how I would destroy them, how painful I would make it for them before I ended it... Casey...what if I...?"

"You wouldn't have done any of the things you were imagining," Casey simply and bluntly stated, trying to convey the truth of his statement through his eyes. "You wouldn't have even come close."

"But how can you know that, John?" she demanded, dumbfounded by the firm conviction she heard in his voice. "You've seen to what lengths I've already gone in my desire for revenge and just how many of my moral boundaries I've already pushed myself beyond. How do you know I wouldn't go that much farther?"

"Because you don't have that kind of ruthlessness within you. You are Dr. Ellie Bartowski Woodcomb, sister of Charles Bartowski, who you raised practically on your own to be a man of compassion, honesty, strength, and conviction." Casey swept a few stray hairs that were sticking to her face behind her ears. "Chuck looked up to you, you know, and followed your example to the very end. His heart was a reflection of yours, Ellie. _That _is how I know."

Ellie bit down on her lip as she contemplated what he was saying, not quite convinced, but taking it in the spirit it was meant. She still had a far way to go before she could believe what he so easily stated as fact.

"Thank you," she said quietly, the tears rising once again to her eyes. She did nothing to stop them, a few slipping out and rolling down her cheeks. She straightened her back, sniffling slightly as she looked at him with a great resolve and, admittedly, more than a little fear. "I can't do this anymore, John. I can't allow myself to continue down this self-destructive path any longer."

"I understand," he responded gently, releasing her face and moving his hands to lightly grip her forearms.. "Just say the word and I'll see what we can do about handing this case off to another team. One that isn't as emotionally invested as we are. What do you say; do you want me to do that?"

"Yes, I do." Ellie nodded in affirmation, though the side of her that still wanted vengeance was protesting with a vengeance. She did her best to tamp it down. "It'll be hard to let it go, but I know it's for the best."

"Okay, I will speak to Beckman about it," he said, then paused a moment as if to contemplate how he was going to continue without frightening her. "But you have to understand something, Ellie. The Intersect isn't something you can take back, and as long as you have it, you cannot go back to your civilian life. _They_ will not let you go."

"I do understand that," she said bravely, with a renewed sense of purpose. "And honestly, I don't want to go back, even if I could. I want to use the Intersect and continue the work that Chuck was so _passionate_ about. It's about time I try figure out how to use this thing to make a difference in this crazy, mixed up world, rather than how I can use it as a tool of revenge. Will you help me?"

"You are an amazing woman, Ellie Woodcomb," John responded, admiringly. He gave her a chaste kiss on her lips before rising to his feet and pulling her up with him. "And, of course, I will do everything in my power to help you any way I can."

"Thanks, John," she said, feeling significantly lighter than she had been for a very long time. She could feel the shadows that had been overtaking her soul retreat, though they remained close by, waiting for a time when they could regain a foothold again. Ellie knew it was a battle she would likely be fighting for the rest of her life. She looked at Casey contemplatively, took a large step back, and assumed a fighting stance... Then flashed on command. "How about you start right now?"

"Gladly," he returned with a half-playful, half-devious grin. "Now, show me what you've got."


	4. Ellie vs the Blind Date

This is an entry into the the Jellie_Shippers Carnival Challenge on livejournal, which actually ended way back in July or August. I had this chapter partially finished on my desktop for a long time, thinking I'd never be able to finish it. My inspiration returned, as you can see, and I'm so glad to finally get this posted. I'm not completely satisfied with the end result, but I'm happy enough with it to post now.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Ellie vs. the Blind Date**

They had been sitting there for at least 15 minutes, the evening air dark and cool around them, but as his hand gently clasped hers, she could think of worse fates than being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel with a handsome gentlemen, and a breathtaking view of the brilliantly lit carnival stretched out before them. She adjusted the suit jacket he had earlier placed around her shoulders and leaned into his side, smiling when he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her even more closely.

This evening was turning out to be just perfect.

* * *

_Earlier That Evening_

Ellie could hardly believe that she allowed Devon to convince her to go through with this nonsense.

She had once thought herself fortunate that their divorce had been so amicable that they could remain good friends very soon after its finalization, but now she was beginning to question if she hadn't been delusional about that all of this time. Just because Devon was happily – and at times, disgustingly – married to a woman as awesome as he, and wanted everyone else to partake in their own slice of marital bliss, that didn't mean he had the right to intervene in her own love life.

And just because she was starting to feel those unwanted and uncomfortable pangs of loneliness as a result of her lack of a real love life, that didn't mean that she had to go along with his efforts to set her up with his acquaintances.

Yet, here she was, sitting at a back table of a French restaurant, waiting for her blind date to show up. Blind dates, as far as she was concerned, were more dreadful than having to pull a double monster shift at the hospital. Chances were that the guy was either a stuck up snob or an idiot. Already he wasn't showing much imagination. While a lovey and perfectly acceptable location for a first date, his choice didn't exactly have the kind of creativity she craved from a potential love interest.

She looked at her watch. Where was this guy, anyway? He was already running fifteen minutes late.

She swore she would kill Devon if her date stood her up. She could be doing better things right now. Like sitting at home, watching 'Ella Enchanted' while eating a pint or two of her favorite ice cream.

Ellie looked to the front of the restaurant, perking up slightly when it opened, but slumping down again when she saw a young couple enter, obviously ridiculously and disgustingly in love. Like Devon, the rat, and his bride.

This really sucked. She would give him two more minutes, then she was out of here.

* * *

John Casey could hardly believe that he was actually going along with this blind date nonsense that Chuck was so insistent on. As far as he was concerned, Chinese water torture would make for a much more pleasant experience than going on a damned blind date with a woman who most likely had the personality of a wet noodle.

But as Chuck had gleefully reminded him, John owed the nerd big time for saving his life on that last mission.

"Hey, you were the one who kept _insisting _that you owed me one... That your honor as a Marine demanded it, " he had needled in his typical pesky manner, made worse by the fact that Bartowski was absolutely right. John _had_ insisted. Because if it hadn't been for the quick thinking and ingenuity of his CIA counterpart, he would seriously be dead right now. But a blind date? Is that really how he was supposed to repay Bartowski? Well, John supposed it made a strange kind of sense, since blind dates were worse than death. "Besides, you might even have a good time. I think she could actually be perfect for you. You never know, she could be 'the one'."

He had rolled his eyes when Chuck used air quotes to emphasize his last two words.

"Fine," John had grumbled, as he accepted his tragic fate. "I'll go. But after this disaster of a night is over, consider my debt repaid. In full."

"Deal," Chuck had agreed emphatically, shooting his hand out towards him. John automatically shook the outstretched hand – perhaps a little more firmly than was necessary – then grunted grumpily, which served only to make Chuck's smile grow wider.

And that was how he found himself standing at the front desk of this stupid French restaurant, scowling menacingly at the previously uppity and now intimidated maître d' who had just informed him that his date had called to say she wasn't coming.

He had been officially stood up.

_Forget owing the moron_, he thought, beyond irritated with this turn of events. _I think I'd rather just kill him next time I see him._

John would have loose a low growl that might have sent the maître d' scrambling to the front exit, never to return to his dull and thankless job, had a woman exiting the ladies' room not caught his eye, instead. She was immediately familiar to him. In fact, he had spent a good part of the first three years of his time in Burbank, watching over her and her family through the surveillance cameras he'd once had placed in and around her home.

Ellie Bartowski was dressed to impress, her patterned dress fell to just above her knees and skimmed and hugged her figure in just the right places. The high heeled black boots she wore rose to her black stockinged kneecaps, flattering the dress and the woman wearing it in ways that his more creative fantasies could not capture. Her hair was swept up in an elegant chignon with a few loose tendrils framing her delicate features. Overall, it was a perfect look for her, even that irritated scowl that was currently on her face didn't take away from it.

He wondered if she was upset because her date had turned out to be a world class jerk, or if she had, like him, been stood up. Whatever the reason, it was definitely the little bastard's loss.

The irritated look on her face disappeared, replaced first with surprise at seeing John standing there, then with a genuine pleasure. Was it his imagination, or was there an ethereal light surrounding her as she walked up to him with that guileless Bartowski smile that looked so much better on her than it did on her brother.

"John! Hi!" she greeted as she stepped around to enveloped him in a warm embrace, not noticing the young maître d' slumping in relief from the reprieve she'd unknowingly given him. "It's good to see you again. It's been so long! How have you been?"

"I've been okay," he gruffly answered. "Been keeping real busy with work, you know."

"So, I've heard," Ellie quietly replied, nodding knowingly. Then, she straightened up self-consciously. Her next words were for the sake of the maître d', as it wouldn't be a good idea for them to discuss his real work in the presence of a stranger. "I'd love to hear more about it, but I see that you're obviously here on a date. We should catch up later."

"Actually, it would appear that my date has stood me up," he said, giving her a wry smile.

"Really? What a coincidence! Mine, too!" she exclaimed at their mutual misfortune. "Hey, we both probably still have our reservations. Would you like take advantage of our meeting here and have dinner together?"

"You know what? I have a better idea," He spoke, speaking impulsively, something Chuck had told him in passing about one of Ellie's passions coming to him. The night was still young; they could probably make it to their destination before sunset. A sneaking suspicion about this whole thing started to creep into his mind, but he forgot about it when he saw Ellie light up with curiosity. "I have the perfect place for us to go. Let's see what we can do to salvage this night for the both of us. Come with me?"

If possible, Ellie's smile seemed to get brighter as she slipped her hand through his offered arm. "I would love to. Just let me stop by my car to get my sweater first."

Much of the next ten minutes of driving were spent in companionable silence. Ellie was surprised how much she'd forgotten how enjoyable it was to sit and enjoy the very presence of someone else without feeling compelled to fill the silence with words. However, as John confirmed that they should be arriving at their destination in a few minutes, Ellie couldn't hardly contain her curiosity.

"So what is this mysterious location you're taking me to, John?"

"Has anybody ever told you that patience is a virtue, Ellie," he asked, giving her a teasing grin that gave her warm, fuzzy feelings inside. She had also missed being good-naturedly teased by an attractive male.

"So, they say, John," she returned just as teasingly, leaning back in her seat. She decided to just enjoy the rest of the ride and relish in the delicious anticipation. "So, they say."

"You'll just have to wait and see, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you'll be pleased."

Ellie had to fight the urge to bounce up and down in her seat, like an over-excited child eager for the moment they would get their very first view of Disneyland. A few minutes later, her patience – or lack thereof – paid off when the streets began to become more and more familiar to her.

"John!" she breathed as her favorite carnival came into view. She stared in awe of the sight before her before turning to face him with a look that surely relayed exactly how affected she was by his gesture. "How did you know?"

"Chuck told me," he matter-of-factually responded. "He and I were working surveillance one night and you know how Chuck is. Can't keep quiet for too long." Ellie smiled at the mild exasperation mixed with gruff fondness she heard it his voice. She bet he had no idea how much like a big brother he sounded in that moment. "Anyway, at some point during the night, it came up that you loved this place and hadn't been here in years."

"And you remembered," she said softly.

"Sometimes a thing or two Chuck says in some of his monologues does sink in," he responded dryly as he glanced over at her. He smirked. "And I have a good memory."

When he turned his focus back to the road, Ellie felt a warmth and energy spread through her entire body and wondered if she was beaming as outwardly as she was inwardly. She was truly touched that one of the things that had "sunk in" was that she loved going to carnivals and fairs, this one being her particular favorite.

As far as carnivals went, it was very small, not even stretching very far. And it didn't really have very much in the way of rides or games, but it did have a certain charm to it, mostly thanks to the people who worked it. The family who owned the carnival had a knack for hiring the friendliest people, many of whom had been with them for years.

It also had been the place that her father had taken her and Chuck on the rare occasion he was completely focused on being a dad to them.

Before her contemplation of the past could go down all sorts of twists and turns, Ellie noticed that John had finally found a parking space and was just pulling into it. After shutting down the car, he turned slightly in his seat to give her a disarming smile that made it surprisingly easy for her to just let go of the most painful parts of her past, for now. "So, you ready?"

"Absolutely," she responded emphatically with a nod and a smile. "Let's go."

For the next half hour or so, Ellie and John just walked throughout the fair, every once in a while stopping at a food or game booth, or sitting to watch people and children pass them by. They talked about an amalgamation of things, some serious, some not, just getting a feel for each others' likes and interests, thoughts and opinions. Ellie found that many of his answers to her questions surprised her, while others were so..._ him_ that she couldn't resist grinning and teasing him a bit.

They had a great deal in common she discovered, for example, both having had to step into the role of an adult as teenagers. She learned that his father had died when he was fourteen and his mother had sunk into a deep pit of depression for a number of years following, forcing him to take on adult responsibilities a lot sooner than he should have under normal circumstances.

But for everything that they had in common, there were just as many things that differed between them. Their political beliefs, for one, and Ellie sensed that they would most likely be having many heated political debates between them in the future.

While waiting for John to use the restroom, Ellie sat on a bench and watched the Ferris Wheel turn with a small smile on her face. Chuck had never been one for heights, so he'd always avoided that particular ride. But she'd never felt that kind of unease; instead she'd found the ride to be rather thrilling. A personal favorite, to be shared with someone special...

"Would you like to ride the Ferris Wheel?" John asked as he approached her at the bench, startling her slightly. She stood up quickly and turned to face him.

"I would love to," she answered, a little breathlessly to both her chagrin and delight. "The Ferris Wheel is my favorite ride..." Ellie took one look at his face and saw his thoughts, which he didn't even try to hide. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Well, it was another interesting tidbit about you that Chuck _might have _mentioned." He gave her yet another grin. She'd probably seen him smile more times in this one evening that she had seen him smile in the nearly seven years she'd known him, and it did funny things to her stomach when she realized that she affected him that much. "I know it may sound unbelievable, but I've never ridden a Ferris Wheel before. But who better to experience it for the first time with than you?"

'He is such a charmer,' she thought to herself. 'When he really wants to, he can really turn it up.'

"I could say the same thing about you, John Casey," she coyly responded..

He offered his arm again and without hesitation, she slipped her arm through and they walked in companionable silence toward the ride.

"So, how on earth did you find yourself on a blind date, John?" Ellie asked while they were waiting in line. "It just doesn't seem like the kind of thing that you'd agree to."

Ellie probably wouldn't have noticed John subtle weight shift if she hadn't been expecting some kind of sign of discomfort from him. His face betrayed nothing else, however, and of course he would chose now to put on the spy face. But she'd get it out of him, she thought slyly. He wouldn't be able to hold out on her for too long; eventually he would cave.

"Let's just say, I owed a well meaning friend a favor."

"Well meaning friend, huh?" she repeated, her voice filled with speculation as she thought up the possibilities. When the answer came to her, she wasn't surprised by what she had come up with.

However, before she could say anything, it was their turn to board the ride. John, being the gentleman, helped her climb the footrest with a gentle pressure under her forearm, then easily followed her into the seat.

Before she knew it, they were rising slowly into the air. The breeze seemed to have picked up a bit of a chill, but not so much that she couldn't enjoy watching the scenery of the carnival shift and change as they arched into the air and then descended back toward the earth. She didn't think she had shown any signs of being cold, so she was surprised when John shifted in the seat and pulled off his suit jacket.

"There you go," he said and she didn't speak or object as he helped her slip her arms into the sleeve. She clutched the front lapels to her chest and stared at him for a moment. It shouldn't have done so, but the chivalry of the gesture made her speechless. Again, she felt herself go warm and it wasn't all because of the coat. "Better?"

"Yes," she whispered, for she could barely bring her voice to go beyond just that. "Thank you."

After a turn or two, the seat stopped at the top of the wheel, so more passengers could be let on. She sighed contentedly.

"This is absolutely amazing," she said, unable to stop her voice from being breathy, as she watched the lights from the various booths and rides shimmer across her vision. When John did not say a word in response, she turned her head to find that he wasn't even looking out at the carnival. Instead, he had been looking at her profile with such an intensely appreciative expression on his face, it made her breath hitch. "The view here is probably at it's best during the evening, don't you think?"

John blinked and seemed to pull himself – with some effort – out of whatever thoughts held him in their grasp. If she hadn't been certain before of her ability as a woman to properly affect him, then him directing his focus on her like that would have definitely clued her in. She still had it, and it was amazing, the sensual feeling of power it gave her.

"Yeah," he responded vaguely and turned his focus outward, though she was sure that he was not really seeing what lay before them. He definitely wasn't referring to the carnival when he continued. "The view is magnificent."

She opened her mouth to speak, but the ride suddenly jolted beneath them, causing them both to jerk in their seats and grasp the handle bar in front of them.

"What on earth?" she asked rhetorically.

A second later, it happened again, and a commotion from the ground had them both looking down. The person controlling the ride was arguing with someone – a supervisor, perhaps – and gesturing wildly at the control panel. The ride operator played with a couple of buttons, which without being a mechanic, Ellie knew was a going to be a bad move. Again, the ride jolted, this time twice in quick succession before the other man pushed the operator out of the way and pulled a Walkie-Talkie to his mouth, speaking rapidly into it.

"Looks like we're going to be stuck up her for a while," John said dryly and she could tell without looking that he was smirking. She leaned back in the seat and turned her head to look at him, and that particular suspicion was immediately confirmed.

"Yeah," she responded in kind, feeling like she didn't really mind the inconvenience. And she suspected that he didn't, either. Without thinking, as it seemed to her to be the most natural thing to do in the world, she reached over to him and grasped one of his hands, a gesture he accepted without protest. Instead of pulling back, he squeezed her hand gently, and held on, letting his thumb absently stroke her silky skin. "Looks that way, doesn't it?"

For a long time, neither of them spoke, just silently held hands as they let the chaos that was happening below them remain on the periphery of their attentions. Finally, a thought that had been dancing at the back of her mind all evening long came back to her, and she couldn't help but share her revelation.

"Had I known that Chuck and Devon were trying to set us up with each other, I never would have agreed to go out on a date with you," she admitted shyly.

John looked at her with amusement.

"Ah, so, you figured it out, too."

"Yes," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "It actually wasn't that difficult to put two and two together to make a Chuck and Devon matchmaking scheme."

She was kind of glad that John didn't ask her to elaborate on why she wouldn't have gone on a date with him. She suspected he probably already guessed many of her reasons. Had he known that they were going to set him up with her, he might have even held many of the same reasons and concerns.

"They had good intentions," he said gruffly, and something in his voice made her think that he was planning something to get back at the boys for their duplicity. "And I have to admit, I never suspected a thing before tonight. Lucky for them, their plan worked like a charm."

Ellie smiled at this, happy that he felt the same way as her about the end result. For the first time all day, she held nothing but charitable thoughts for her ex-husband and silently sent out a mental word of thanks to him.

Her mind returned to the reality of the situation they were in and looked down to see what was kind of effort were occurring to get the ride moving again.. She saw that a mechanic seemed to be working on the problem as the ride supervisor hovered anxiously.

Most people would be irritated and maybe a little panicky about being stuck like this for so long, but she and John were not most people.

They had been sitting there for at least 15 minutes, the evening air dark and cool around them, but as his hand gently clasped hers, she could think of worse fates than being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel with a handsome gentlemen, and a breathtaking view of the brilliantly lit carnival stretched out before them. She adjusted the suit jacket he had earlier placed around her shoulders and leaned into his side, smiling when he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her even more closely.

This evening was turning out to be just perfect.


End file.
